GAELIC WARRIOR TO OPEN CAMPAIGN IN JOHN DURKAN AS MULLINS LEANS TOWARDS LEOPARDSTOWN AT CHRISTMAS

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Gaelic Warrior will make his seasonal reappearance in the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase on Sunday, 22 November, and Willie Mullins has indicated the eight-year-old is more likely to stay at home over Christmas than return to Kempton for the King George.

The champion trainer confirmed the Punchestown target on Wednesday in comments reported by PA Media. Assistant trainer David Casey had already named the John Durkan as the probable starting point last week, and Gaelic Warrior, who won the race 12 months ago, is among its entries. He returns as the season's leading staying chaser after a dominant Gold Cup success in March, which he backed up by beating stablemate Fact To File by 26 lengths in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

Christmas is the bigger question. Gaelic Warrior finished third behind The Jukebox Man in last season's King George, and Mullins said the Kempton ground that day was quicker than he would have liked. He told PA he would "probably keep him to Leopardstown all being well", while making clear that this was his current thinking rather than a final decision.

KITZBUHEL IN LINE FOR KEMPTON

If Gaelic Warrior does stay in Ireland, Kitzbuhel could carry the Closutton hopes on Boxing Day. Last season's Brown Advisory winner, who also took the Kauto Star Novices' Chase over the King George course and distance, is set to start in the John Durkan as well, and Mullins said he would look at taking him back to Kempton afterwards.

Fact To File, Final Demand, Kaid d'Authie and Grand National winners I Am Maximus and Nick Rockett are among the other Mullins possibles at Punchestown. Fact To File looks set to be trained for another crack at the Ryanair Chase rather than the Gold Cup.

IL ETAIT TEMPS HEADS STRAIGHT TO SANDOWN

Champion Chase hero Il Etait Temps missed his intended comeback at Clonmel last week because of unsuitable ground, so he will now defend his Tingle Creek crown at Sandown without a prep run. Mullins also expects Kopek Des Bordes, beaten at odds-on at Naas on Sunday, to stay on a Champion Chase route.

Among the novice chasers, Turners winner King Rasko Grey is the one the trainer is most looking forward to, and he holds an entry for his fencing debut at Navan on Saturday. Mullins now sees him as more of a Brown Advisory type than an Arkle horse.